Fight Against Fate
by E. Feather
Summary: *Chp 3a is up!* My opinion on how Hinata met Naruto when they were kids. Cowardy Hinata wanted to run away from it all and in comes Naruto! Plz read and review~
1. Lost Souls

Fight Against Fate

Author's Notes: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic.

This is my rendition of the first time Hinata met Naruto when they were still kids. There might be some wrong events or miscalculations, but please pardon these little mistakes. I'll correct them as soon as I spot them.;D There may be a few spoilers ahead, so those who have not read Volume 11 might be risking the fun. Anyway, I find these two a cute couple and perhaps I might write a romance on them someday. As for this fic, it's probably a one-sided thingy, I dunno yet. Please leave your comments after you read. Thanks~

She had failed again.

As the six years old girl got up slowly, her father's look of disappointment pierced her deeper than her wounds. Hinata bit back her tears and prepared for another hit, her little limbs already shaking from exhaustion. Hiashi stared down at his injured daughter, admiring her diligence. However, diligence alone was not enough. He had been training Hinata for three years now, but the result was not satisfying. He did not want to admit it, but he realized that his daughter was not cut out to be a warrior. Hinata could have been powerful, if she had the confidence and courage. She would disgrace the Hyuga Clan if she continued this way. Perhaps he could only pin his hopes on his second child, may it be a boy or a girl.

Hiashi started to attack. Hinata dodged his blows beautifully as she was quick to learn the hard way. Her attacks were deemed useless, so she had concentrated on her speed. She did not expect the wounds to be so serious though. Apparently her foot had been bruised and that made her lose her balance. When Hinata avoided the next blow, her foot yelled out in pain and she crashed onto the floor of the dojo.

Her swollen foot looked serious. A few years ago, Hiashi would carry Hinata to her room and have the family physician treat her right away. Now, he just turned away and told her in a stern voice,

"I guess that is all for today. I will see you here first thing in the morning. Now go rest...and get your foot nursed."

Her father walked out of the dojo, sighing quietly. Even at the age of four, his brother's son, Neji, could defeat the current Hinata. He could only pray that the child in his wife's womb would make him proud. 

All around the dojo was nothing but silence. The last ray of sunlight was fading away, inviting a cold and dark night. There was no wind of comfort, not even a sign of the little critters that usually settle in the garden. Hinata was alone. And hurt, both physically and mentally.

She had not meant to be weak. All these years she had trained hard to meet her father's expectations, but she kept failing. She had no confidence that she could fight her father, and she lacked the courage to try. No matter how hard she tried, there would be a constant fear in her, which encouraged her to give up or run away.

_Run away..._

That idea had crossed her mind an unhealthy amount of times for a little girl like her. When she went out with her mother, Hinata noticed all other girls of her age would be smiling and playing with their friends. Her shyness caused her to have no friends and her nervousness didn't make things any better. Overall, Hinata was one lonely kid.

That made her sad, but it drove her to work harder, to get her father's approval. To have her family acknowledge her existence would be enough for her. At least that was what she thought.

Gradually Hinata got up from her forlorn position and limped across the cold wooden floor. As she walked along the narrow corridor towards her room, her foot complained and once again, she tripped and fell out of the corridor into the garden. Fighting her tears, Hinata was about to climb back up when she heard two pair of feet rustling towards the dojo. From their voices she could recognize the house servant and the physician,

"Miss Hinata must still be in the dojo."

"Hai, Master told me to fetch her here. You could have just waited in miss Hinata's room, Doctor."

"No, it is best that I go to Miss Hinata as soon as possible. A young body like hers should not be taking these wounds."

Hinata liked her family physician. The old man had always smiled to her and talked to her in a gentle manner. Only with him could Hinata feel safe and relaxed. She was going to call out to him when she heard the next words,

"Well, Miss Hinata would not be getting hurt anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Doctor, I'll tell you this because you're a close friend of this household. Apparently, Madam is having another child..."

_Mother's having another child? I'm going to be a sister?_

Hinata listened more carefully. She felt hurt that she had not been told about this when she was part of the family, but the prospect of having a sibling, perhaps a real friend, made her somewhat glad.

"...and everyone is saying that this unborn child is going to be this household's new hope." 

Hinata froze. New...hope? All her thoughts shattered to pieces when she heard that she was going to be replaced. Was she that naïve that she thought her sibling would be her friend? The new child would replace her position in her family's eyes and she would be neglected. Hinata felt fresh tears stinging her eyes.

The door to the dojo opened and the two of them stared at the empty hall. Where was Hinata? The servant was confused while the physician turned around,

"Perhaps Miss Hinata had gone back to her room first. Come, let us make haste."

The two of them hurried down the corridor away from Hinata. Now she was alone again and the night was turning colder. Hurt, anger, disappointment, sorrow all jumbled in her. Her chest felt heavy and when she choked she realized that she had been holding her breath. Finally getting up, Hinata hobbled as fast and quietly as she could out of the house. She needed fresh air.

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Everyone was staring at the young boy as he walked down the street. If he knew there would be so many people outside tonight, he would not have stepped outside his flat. All of them were giving him that look again. That look of disapproval, as though he was being looked down upon. And the way they turned their heads in disgust when he glared at them.

Naruto hated that look, and since everyone looked at him that way, he hated people. He had no family and no friends ever since he knew how to take care of himself. How he had been able to afford food, he did not know. How he had come to have a house, he did not know. How he had become so hateful, he did not know. All he knew was that he was alone. Alone in this village, alone in this world. 

The only person who had ever talked to him was probably that old man in long robes. That old man claimed to be the Head of the Village even if he did not seem like it. However, Naruto had to admit, the old man did resemble one of the carved faces on the Hokage Memorial. In fact, he remembered vaguely that the old man told him that those faces were the faces of the heroes of Konoha village, called Hokage. Recently he had been sent to school by the old man. That was a dreadful place. He had to sit in one place for hours listening to an adult drone on while the kids beside him make noise. There was particular adult, or teacher, as they called them, who had been nice to him though. A man called Iruko, or Iruki, or something. He had talked to him and asked about him, even though Naruto had been rude to him. He didn't know if he dared to trust that friendly-looking man.

_Whatever..._

Naruto was hungry when he came out, but his appetite had been ruined by all the hostile stares. He was heading for the ramen stall, but changed his course when he saw a huge crowd inside. He turned towards the forest, as it was the only place where he could find some peace, but even for a kid like him, he knew not to venture too far in it, as one could get lost. He decided to return to the ramen stall later at night, when people have gone home.

Home.

A word unfamiliar to him. He has seen many homes from his window, warm and cozy homes where a family cares for one another. A place that is so near to him, yet he would never be in one. At the beginning he felt sad, but now he felt angry, angry at why he was the only one alone, the only one being stared at. Needing the peace the forest offered Naruto quickened his pace. 

As he reached the border of the village, Naruto thought he had heard someone crying. He felt something crawl up his skin.

Could it be...a g-ghost?

No one would blame him if he went away, right? It was best to leave these spiritual things alone. He laughed nervously even though he could feel his knees shaking. Perhaps being stared at was better than meeting a... Before he could finish the thought, Naruto heard a shaky cry, a surprised cry, a girl's cry. His male instincts told his legs to move towards the sound, but his inner child screamed for him to leave. As Naruto stepped closer towards the sound, he could see figures ahead.

There he found her.

To be continued...


	2. To Run Or To Fight

Fight Against Fate

Author's Notes: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic.

I really like Hinata. I find her a delicate and kind being who should not be overlooked, but that's just my opinion. This is not a two-sided romance, so I apologize to those waiting for some sweet HinataXNaruto scenes. I mean, they're only 6! Anyway, please read and review. I'm still an amateur at writing, so pardon me for some mistakes or lack of excitement. Thanks for all the reviews, I'll try my best not to disappoint~

Sneaking out of the house was not a problem for Hinata as people always said she was unnoticeable. Even with an injured foot, she was able to reach the outskirts of the village unnoticed. The rustling leaves seemed to be gossiping about her pitiful sight and the air was filled with cold hostility. The moon now hung up high and proud, as if mocking her for running away from her destiny. 

_What destiny? _

Hinata had no destiny to speak of. Now that she was to be replaced, she had nothing to look forward to. She was not needed to glorify the Hyuga Clan, nor was she needed to be a caring daughter. She did not wish to grow up to be a lonely ninja in this village. What would she live for? Her desire for her father's approval no longer seemed to matter. She realized that her family did not care, no one did.

She reached the forest surrounding the village and sat on a rock, resting her poor foot. All her feelings and thoughts seemed to crush her and suddenly, she just broke down and cried. Not the usual quiet sobs the shy little girl would do, but loud cries, cries of frustration, hurt and loneliness. As Hinata finally let out all her bottled up pain, the trees in the forest seemed to cry with her.

_I shall run away from all this..._

This thought had appeared many times before, but just as before it was swept away by uncertainty and worry. Where would she go and how would a little girl like her survive? She had no one to turn to and she felt that she did not have the ability to escape through the forest. As her confidence plunged into the earth, she became aware of her surroundings. 

Hinata realized that she had gone quite deep into the forest, even though it did not appear so. Perhaps it was the lateness of the night that made everything eerie. Darkness cloaked the forest and Hinata felt alone. Fear gripped her as the trees and bushes rustled loudly.

_Wait a minute...bushes rustle?_

To her horror Hinata saw figures approaching her, and they did not look human. She opened her mouth to scream as they came into view, but what came out was a weak cry.

Just a few feet away from her were two wild dogs, bigger than the rocks around and their skins dark as the night. Huge teeth shone under the moonlight while the saliva dripping from their mouths reflected their hunger.

Too frightened to run, Hinata's legs gave way and she collapsed on her knees. She was ignorant of the pain her injured foot gave her as terror overtook her. Hinata was simply stunned. 

When she collapsed, the dogs had stepped back a bit, thinking that she was going to attack. However, they had sensed her fear now and knew they were going to have an easy feast. They moved nearer towards the small, shaking body.

_This is no time to be stunned!! Move, Legs! Move, Body!!_

Screaming in her head was all she could do at that time. Fresh tears blurred her eyes and her whole body was trembling. She thought of the only person who could save her, yet she felt that he would probably expect her to defeat these creatures alone. But how was she to fight them if she could not even stand?

"F-father...save me...h-help...PAPA!!" 

Abruptly a figure jumped out from bushes and the sudden movement stopped the dogs in their tracks. Hinata felt a spark of hope. Her father had come to rescue her. Perhaps he did love her after all...

And Hinata's face fell when she saw her 'hero'. To Hinata's relief, he was human, but to her horror, he was also a child just like her.

A young boy, probably of her age, landed in front of her with a thick stick on his hand. It would have been a very heroic act if he had not landed on his bum. Hinata just stared at her so-called savior, dumbfounded. The boy rubbed his bum in pain before looking at her, smiling sheepishly.

"You alright?"

Just then the blond boy was knocked over roughly onto a rock by one the dogs, which had been angered by the fright. They had decided to slowly torture their food-to-be. The other beast closed in on the stoned girl, growling in anticipation.

Hinata lost all hope.

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He had not planned to act heroic. In fact, he had not planned to care at all. He did not know the girl. Besides, the girl would probably look at him the same way everyone did. So why was he kissing a rock just then?

It was the pain in her cries. Naruto knew that cry for he had many times cried the same way. Hurt and loneliness filled the air. He thought he had found someone like him. He thought he had found a friend. So he had grabbed the nearest stick he could find and jumped out without a plan. 

Now pain struck his head and made it clear. As Naruto got up he realized what situation he was in. Alone with a weak girl...attacked by two huge hungry-looking dogs. WAS HE MAD? Did he really want to end his life so badly? So soon? In such a horrible manner??!

His legs started to tremble as he turned around to face the approaching dog. Biting back pain and fear, he held the stick out with small, shaking hands. Terror was about to overcome him when he noticed the other dog moving towards the little girl, whom he was supposed to rescue. The girl who might become his friend.

No, he did not want to die now. He did not want to leave this world without making a single friend, without someone to mourn over him when he left. No, he was going to save her. But how? 

There was no time to think. Both dogs had started their attacks and the girl had not moved. Naruto's instincts made him dodge the one plunging at him and dashed towards the still frozen girl. He had totally forgotten about the stick in his hands when he banged onto the other dog with his body and smashed his head into its ribs. With a painful yelp the beast fell onto the ground, temporarily paralyzed. One down, one more to go.

A powerful jaw caught his shoulder by surprise and threw Naruto onto a tree trunk. The girl seemed to have awoken from her trance and let out a shocked cry. This brought the dog's attention to her and it sprang up...

Only to get jabbed at its side. Naruto had finally made use of his stick when he ran to save her. Blood poured out from his deep wound and he could not stand properly. The pain was numbing. He had never bled this much before, thus his young body could not hold it up well. He could not understand why he was fighting this dog for a girl he never met. He could have fled and let the dog eat her. He could still run now.

No, he would not flee. No more would he run away from pain and anguish. He would face them. He would prove to everyone that he deserved better than what they were giving him. He would fight his destiny, and for that, he needed strength. He needed power to show everyone, he needed power to save this girl. Something surged in him. Something popped in his head. Suddenly, he felt that he had an aim in life. With this newfound courage, he charged towards the dog yelling,

"I AM UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE NEXT HOKAGE! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED HERE!!"

To be continued...


	3. Dreams Are Born

Fight Against Fate

Author's Notes: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this fic.

I apologize for not updating sooner. I just can't seem to put this fic together the way I want it to be. I don't find a lot of fics with Kabuto in them though, I wonder why.

*This is an edited version. Small revision though. Thank you for your reviews and I must have been drunk to make so many mistakes. I've corrected some, but maybe I was too sleepy to catch the rest. Hope you would bear with me! _ Remember to review! Btw, YAY! Naruto fics have hit 200! Hope more would be coming~*

Where the idea of being Hokage came from Naruto did not know. He just blurted whatever he could remember from his 'classes' during the day. That Iruku fellow was talking about the heroes of the village and he mentioned things like not giving up and protecting...things. Naruto had nothing to protect, but he was not about to give up so easily.

_He's useless...That's the cursed boy...Don't go near him!...He's fated never to be a Konoha...He should just run away..._

_No...I will not run away...I am NOT fated to be alone! I WILL NOT DIE HERE!_

After hearing his own words, he did feel stronger. Now he had a goal that is to be the next Hokage, to be acknowledged by the entire village, but that would be after he defeated these opponents first. With an exhausted fist he headed straight for the now maddened dog, plunging into a long and painful battle, not knowing that he had not only changed his life but also the little girl he had tried so hard to save.

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Hinata stared at the bloody scene before her as Naruto's words rang in echoes. At this late in the night others could only make out two figures lashing at each other, but Hinata's Byakugan could see that the boy was losing. 

_Somebody...help us..._

_I AM UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE NEXT HOKAGE! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED HERE!! _Such a small body, yet such a big aim. He did not seem to be powerful, so why had he come? He did not know her, so why had he cared? At this rate, both of them would die. Unless...no, that's not possible. She did not have the ability to defeat these fierce dogs. And she was scared. Not only that, she was useless. Perhaps she should become dog food and vanish from the world.

But the boy should not die here. He had tried to save her and did not give up even though it was obvious he would lose. Why did he not run?

"Why..."

With a desperate kick the dog sent the boy flying towards Hinata. Getting up awkwardly with the boy unconscious on top of her, Hinata realized that he was badly wounded. The boy was going to die...in front of her...and it was all because of her. Clinging to him, Hinata cried,

"Why did you not run while you had the chance?!"

To Hinata's surprise, the boy opened his eyes. However, when he spoke, he seemed to be speaking to himself rather than to her,

"I will not run...anymore. I will...not be...alone..."

For the first time that night Hinata saw the boy's face clearly. She had seen him in school before. He was the boy everyone avoided for no reason. People warned her about him, and she obeyed them. However, looking at his lonely eyes she realized that they were alike. Feeling like a rotten egg for listening to the others Hinata tried to recall what she knew about him. They both were alone with no friends to play with and both of them sought acknowledgement from the people around them. However, Hinata could be considered fortunate compared to him. She had status and a family, while he had nothing but discrimination and resentment from everyone. Yet he had courage to fight all that. He did not run away from that all and even aimed to be a Hokage, while Hinata thought of giving everything up. 

No, she would change. She would stand up and fight her destiny, but for now, she would fight for him.

_Please give me some of your courage..._

Laying him down to rest, Hinata stood up with determination rather than courage. Not hesitating if she could or could not defeat the opponents in front her, she concentrated her Byakugan and prepared for battle.

The forest covered the scene and only the smaller and smarter rays of moonlight managed to penetrate the leaves to watch the fight. Leaves swayed in encouragement for the little girl fighting for her life against two beasts of the night.

While Hinata gained strength from Naruto and decided to battle, one of the dogs moved towards its wounded mate. Wailings and growling, which only the same species would understand, passed between them and suddenly, the wounded one got up. Apparently, they had decided the best way to take their meal was to strike them down together. Giving no time for warnings, they plunged towards the blonde brat.

With her Byakugan, Hinata aimed her palms at their limbs' inner coils. One of the dogs dodged her attack and bit her arm, hard. The other less fortunate dog's legs became useless now. Being unable to get up it howled both in pain, anger and desperation.

Hinata's arm was bleeding, but such close distance was an advantage to her. Using the Hyuga 'Gentle Fist' she hit her attacker in the ribs and it collapsed without a sound or protest. Both opponents were finally down.

The trees seemed to have parted as a reward for the victory. The no-longer mocking moon shone on the clearing brightly and Hinata examined the scene before her. She had just defeated two dogs double her sizes. 

_No, I could not have done it without him..._

Hinata scrambled towards Naruto and checked on his wounds. Amazingly, they were not as bad as they seemed earlier. However, medical attention was still required for a small boy like him. Hinata heaved his arm across her shoulder, neglecting her own wounds. All she knew was that she had to get help for Naruto. It was he who had saved them tonight. She would not let him die. Supporting a boy's weight was a great burden to Hinata's little body, especially with a sprained ankle and a bleeding arm. Nevertheless, she would not give up and headed back towards the village, now visible under the merciful moonlight.

Something hit her hard on the head. Startled, Hinata lost her balance and fell forward, taking Naruto along with her. Her head felt hot suddenly and as she reached up she felt hot liquid flowing down her hair. Her head was bleeding. 

Everything was too sudden. Before she could adjust to the fact that there was a hole in her head, Hinata was surrounded by many growls, piercing eyes and sharp fangs. The dogs she had defeated were ones that held grudges. Now all of their friends gathered to avenge them, as well as earn a meal. Hinata panicked. How could she defeat them all?

A few started to grab Naruto by the leg. 

"NO!"

Hinata's body moved without her consent and hit those dogs. Enraged by her attack, the others closed in on her. Ignoring the pain she felt by their teeth and claws, Hinata desperately fought those trying to feast on Naruto. There were too many of them. Was she going to die now? To think she had finally decided to fight, to live. Was there really no chance for her?

Hinata was half conscious now. Her arms moved automatically to hit the opponents in front of her. Her eyes were dimming and her legs weak. All she could think about was to protect Naruto. 

If she had not been so beaten up, she would have heard a yelp, followed by plenty more. When all yelps were gone, so had the dogs. Hinata's knees caved in and she fell on her knees, her arms collapsing in fatigue. She did not know if it was the blood, tears or mere exhaustion that caused her eyes to be blurry. She wanted to move towards Naruto, to see if he was alright, when a figure caught her body and lifted her up. She wanted to fight in protest, but the strong arms held her still and a familiar voice said,

"Hush, Hinata. Everything's alright now."

"How...a-about Naruto...?"

Guessing that that was the name of the unconscious boy on the ground, the voice replied,

"He will be fine."

Hinata smiled with relief, then she cried when she recognized the voice. All her fears and anguish were poured out as she hugged the figure,

"I was so s-scared! I-I thought you don't want me anymore, Papa!"

Sensing his daughter's inner pain and sadness, Hiashi held her tight, all anger had transformed into guilt. The doctor had panicked when he told him Hinata had disappeared. When her footsteps were found near the dojo, the doctor was horrified. He then told Hiashi what Hinata might have heard from his conversation with the servant. Furious at the gossiping servant, Hiashi sent everyone in the household to search for her. He was also mad at Hinata for running away just because of a mere rumor (sort of). What was she thinking, troubling everyone like this? With a sprained ankle, she could not be far. They searched the playground, the school and even her cousin's place. His heart practically stopped when she could not be found. Only when he sensed a disturbance in chakra flow, he proceeded towards the forest.

It was the first time he had seen his daughter fight in a real battle. To him, she may be weak, but to many others, she came from the famous Hyuga Clan. Her attacks were powerful and full of determination that many corpses rested around her. But she was too badly wounded to continue, and she was too young to go on. With a powerful glare, Hiashi's Byakugan managed to scare the wild dogs away, for good.

Hiashi rebuked himself for being the cause of all this. How could he have neglected his little daughter to cause her to run away? How could he call her a coward when she could face such a number of opponents? Hinata showed so much courage and strength tonight than she ever had during their training, and she even protected someone.

"You've made me proud, Hinata."

Looking at the blonde boy Hiashi realized who he was. Now he remembered that Naruto was the name given to the boy in which the Nine-Tails Demon Fox was sealed in. Never had he thought that the two would meet under such circumstances. What Hiashi did not know was that both kids' lives had been changed that night.

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Naruto woke up in his bed the next day. He was rather confused at the event that happened last night. Was it a dream? It was too vivid to be a dream. Sitting up he KNEW it was not a dream. He was practically clothed in bandages. No wonder he felt hot. Pulling off all the stained dressings recklessly Naruto was shocked to see all his wounds had healed.

_Whoa! Must have been some powerful doctor..._

Getting dressed for school, Naruto tried to recall what happened last night. If he was back here in bed, that meant someone had saved him. But what about the girl? Did she make it? Who saved him? Many questions popped in his head and he almost missed a piece of paper lying on his table. Noticing the new addition in his house, Naruto picked up the paper and tried to read the words based on what he learnt in school.

"Dear Uzumaki Naruto. Thank you for everything. You have saved me with your s-strength and con...confide...god, why is this so difficult to read? I sincere-ely wish that you achief your dream as a Hokage in the future..."

Tired of trying to decipher the note, Naruto thought of what he said last night. He had mentioned  of becoming the next Hokage? The girl had thanked him, which meant she was alive because of him. Smiling at the thought, Naruto kept the memorable yet half-unread letter in his drawer and headed for the door. So what if people did not like him now? When he becomes Hokage, everyone would know that they were wrong and would beg him for forgiveness. Everyone would acknowledge his existence and they would all like him. He was already imagining scenes where people were offering him tons of ramen and kneeling before him and such. Perhaps becoming a Hokage would not be so bad after all. Grinning like an idiot, Naruto left the house toward his new goal in life, to become stronger, to become Hokage!

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Hinata could not go to school that day as she was still covered with bandages. Besides, she did not really wish to go to school. It was the first time in a long while that she was being treated like a princess. Although she got a huge lecture from both her parents, they stayed with her the whole night. Her mother was tending to all her needs and did not want to let her out of her sight. Hinata felt remorse for running away, but that could wait. Right now she was extremely happy that her parents cared for her and loved her. Her father had sent the family physician to tend to Naruto after Hinata and she had asked him to pass Naruto a letter. She filled all her gratitude and admiration to him in the letter. Hopefully he would read the entire note. He had given her confidence and courage to face her destiny. He had also given her a dream. 

"Hinata dear, here's your porridge. Eat it while it's hot."

Turning her thoughts away from Naruto, Hinata smiled,

"Yes, Mama."

_Thank you._

Um...that's all folks! There'll be an epilogue coming up, but that contains spoilers. So for those who haven't read Volume 11, you can treat this as the end of the fic. Once again, thanks for your reviews!


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